Photography for beginners

zoom

I think this term originated with film/video and it meant a shot which moves smoothly from close up to long shot or vice versa.  In photography it is applied to a lens where the focal length can be smoothly varied.  That is the noun, it can also be a verb.

In modern photography there is tendancy to get the camera out, and standing where we are, use the zoom to frame the shot.  This is wrong, what you should do is walk about until you have found the right viewpoint to get a good composition, then get out your camera and use the zoom to set the appropriate focal length.  You will already have some thoughts on this from when you were composing the picture.

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